tvashtarkatena

The rope bucket was last seen gently fluttering earthward like a garish and expensive autumn leaf. Thought I tugged tested after clipping it to the back of my harness. Guess not. It may have been spotted just N of First Error, in the gulley. Or not. Couldn't get that close.

What I could really use now is a trail/map topo of Jellystone NP. That was a last minute add on to the itinerary.

Thanks for the offers. We'll only have a day at the most - headed for the Winds/etc., so we've probably got enough to work with near Hamilton. Gallatin looks kewl but Hamilton is closer to that critical halfway point needed to break the drive up and keep the sanity intact.

Too cool for this kid I guess. Password protected. Wouldn't take mine I'm fantastically uncool, so it follows.

If it's too hot we'll continue on to WY. Just trying to break up the drive a bit.

The problem with snaffles is that they love too much.

As a lad I hiked into a small, hot creek in Yellowstone NP. It was a few 8? miles in. Anyone out there familiar with such a feature? It wasn't the Boiling River - just a creek. Any recommendation for a great 1 to 2 night out trip would be appreciated. Thanks

We'd like to stop in Blodgett for a couple of days. Any recommendations for decent moderate rock climbs? Topos to share? Thanks

In the unlikely and unfortunate event you find yourself wildly off route on Yo's Lost Arrow, but strangely flush with booty... The bucket is a fuscia Fish Snakecharmer - it was a good bucket for all of 3 pitches before it suddenly caught a flight out of town. Was it something we said?

We must have forgotten to include that in the planning. We were reasonably comfy most of the time. Gonna perfect the solar sanctuary a bit - more ventilation, less bulk, more reflection. Plus, Ivan's bear mauled, gorilla taped pad kept getting its earlobe piercings ripped out, so that's gotta be worked out. I think there may be two festive, high tech, low budget parasols sprouting on next year's vertical pilgrimage. I've got something on order I'm gonna play with here in a bit. That, and radio controlled poo-rachutes to gently float our fragrant excess baggage through the Camp 4 processing window at 8:30 sharp every morning. The falls made it one of the most spectacular experiences I've ever had. Most of the climbing was cool - the summit pitch was incredible, and P9 presents an interesting puzzle - one I couldn't solve, but Ivan managed to conjure a thin crack to complete the NW Passage.

Actually, a lot of the time we were climbing it was a little chilly. Carrying 80 lbs of water up to the base in the heat of the day after fixing the first 2 pitches was probably the crux.

When sunrise rather than sunset becomes the celestial task master. We managed to get about 5+ hours of sleep a day with our two shift program - sleeping under the Eye of Sauron wasn't easy, but the hobbit's leaf softened its glare just enough to drift off. It took its toll after a few days. Little was left beyond the sausage toes, cheese grated hands, and that 10,000 yard stare that caused children to duck behind their mothers and young women to scurry across the street. A rich cascade of aromas may also have been a factor. Our aid shoes fared worse - neither pair made it home.

Brutal. Metal starts to burn you 140 F or so, and is too hot to touch north of 130. Our hardware was def in that category by midday at camp 1, so the pizza stone was nice and warm. Got to eat our chili heated, at least. Almost nobody on the bigger walls. Tourons reported 1 set of headlamps on all of El Cap. We saw no one approach the Lost Arrow from top or bottom the entire time. Time to find a really big, really reflective umbrella, although the tent came in handy during the squall.

I have yet to climb that thing.

If you love something, gay marry it.

Fifi, my darling, where are you?

Thanks, bruthah, but I outsourced the gas money to the USPS - and Darin was good enough to fire the goods die-rectally to the Valley this very afternoon. I would have hit you up after Lincoln, but it was, um...kinda late.

Only on CC. Awesome.

Still lovin that windshirt and alti mitts. Where are you located? I could pick it up tonight.

You know, I thought of that already, but they're closed for the summer. Plus, I need it today. I'm making one right now, in fact, out of an old GoLite Jam and a stuff sack. Should match the rest of our gear perfectly

Long shot, but what the hey.

By far the most common cause of failure in the groups I've taken up Rainier: blisters from rented boots. Pretty much any well fitting boot + crampons will work on a volcano as long as its warm and dry enough for the task. I'm not sure what 'mountaineering' boots are, but full shank boots, which do perform better on steeper snow, also are the most likely to run a noob's feet through the meat grinder. 3/4 shank or less 'mountaineering' boots won't perform all that differently from a pair of adequately insulated 'hiking' boots when paired with crampons on a volcano. Heading up a big climb in boots you've never worn before is pretty much a classic noob recipe for the agony of.... If a pair of boots hurts, they don't fit you.

for about 600 you can pick up a 4 rotor, video capable drone with an auto hover feature. In 5 years that drone will shoplift a six pack and cigarettes for you from the local mini mart, then give you a hand job. In 10 years the drone will be the one giving the orders.

Currently there is no specific restrictions on government use of drones in WA. The ACLU of WA helped draft legislation to include safeguards regarding government use of drones - disclosure, type, security and longevity of data collected, conditions under which drones may or may not be used. Boeing lobbyists weighed in heavily and shot the proposal down. We'll try again next session. It may take a while. The Seattle Police shitcanned their planned use of drones, for now, after much public outcry. Public pressure, properly applied, can and does work here, but people have to act rather than keep their concerns to themselves. Automation is here to stay. There will be cameras everywhere. There will be drones flying around. There will eventually be robocops. Technology's rapidly expanding capability cannot be limited- there's way too much money to be made, and military contractors are scrambling, successfully, to replace a flagging military market with a growing domestic one. Our drones are coming home, too. Limiting drone use can get complicated. What happens when an drone that patrols wetlands to ensure cows aren't getting into them (currently in use) capture a drug deal? The only hope for a society that wishes to maintain some semblance of privacy and protection from continual surveillance is effective legislation that limits its use and a vigilant populace that makes sure that legislation isn't violated.

On somebody else's bases, perhaps. You may not want to put untested chemicals on ski bases you actually care about.